Bad Advice (Sydney Salter)

 

The most common writing advice that I really hate is to WRITE EVERY DAY. I feel like it is advice for men, not women. Definitely not moms. I can't count the number of times my writing time was crushed by a child's sudden illness, or even a teen's need to talk something out. 

I guess I could have shooed my kids away and done that writing. But now that my daughters are grown I'm glad that I didn't. 

I'm no longer a mom in the trenches (though now I rarely turn away a phone call from an adult daughter). Now I'm a care-giving daughter to aging parents. I can't count the number of times my writing time was crushed by a mom's sudden need, or even an aging mom's need to talk something out. 

I guess I could have ignored my aging parents' needs. But now that my mother-in-law is gone, I'm glad that I didn't. 

I HAVE written every day. I've won National Writing Month five times, writing every day of November. Life cooperated in those Novembers--my kids were thriving, parents doing okay. I had fun making Thanksgiving pies and getting my word counts done. 

The thing about NOT writing every day is the thinking time. I've avoided a lot of writing problems by taking the time between writing sessions to think about what I've already written, what I plan to write. I think about my characters. How to fix weaknesses creeping into my WIP. All that thinking makes writing more efficient, maybe even better. I like giving my writing some breathing room. I like taking the pressure off myself to write every day. 

I CAN write daily. I just think that my writing is better when I don't. Give yourself and your writing breathing room. That's my good advice. 

But only if it works for YOU!